The Emperor’s Jazz

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The Emperor's Jazz
Artist/Director: Paul Gordon

The journey that led Paul Gordon to all that Jazz began strangely enough, first as a singer/songwriter and guitarist, then DJ, playing electronic dance music. He was first introduced to electronic dance music at a huge warehouse party in the early 90’s. "Before then," says Paul, "I was an amateur singer/song-writer dabbling in acoustic-oriented rock a la the Smiths, the Cure. I went to my first party, it was Toon Town's Psychedelic Apocalypse New Year's Eve party, and the experience changed my life completely." It was his introduction to a spiritual element of music found in the pounding repetitive hypnotic rhythms and melodies, typical of warehouse parties.
It was inevitable however, that Paul’s background in songwriting would leave him feeling that there had to be more to this music than just repetitive beats. After a couple of years, he got frustrated with the music the deejays were playing at the time, which he thought lacked depth and musicianship. That's when he decided to learn the art of deejaying, and started collecting electronic music with a decidedly soulful honest feel; often referred to as Soulful House. He got his first real break in '96 as an opening Dj at Plush, a popular “weekly” hosted by well-known local nightclub promoter Peter Fablé. In '97, Paul spun at his first major Electronic Dance Music event – Happy Daze, and by the turn of the decade, Paul had been playing at major electronic music festivals such as the infamous Gigabeatz 1 & 2, and Bliss 1 & 2 held at the California Exposition Center in Sacramento, with attendances averaging over 3000 people.
As Paul delved deeper into House music – studying its nuances, collecting, and playing the music - he was surprised at how much Jazz there was “out there” infused in House. Over the years, Paul has been busy honing his craft as sculptor and manipulator of moods, using tracks that draw the audience into an uplifted state of mind, with an underlying backroom funk band sensibility. Paul believes music should be felt, not heard. He will often draw from different elements and sub-genres of House – ambient, ethereal, afro-beat, loungey, bossa & samba, progressive, deep – to impress his belief in a smooth cohesive mix. But what is unmistakably evident throughout his sets – is the heavy influence of Jazz and Soul. He's played alongside such luminaries as Mark Farina of “Mushroom Jazz” fame, and deejays Donald Glaude, Hippie and Halo, Roy Davis Jr., Johnny Fiasco, and many more. He has played in parts of the country as diverse as New York City, Kansas, Oregon, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Paul's current project/show is also his entertainment moniker - The Emperor's Jazz. – It’s a live mix of classic jazz, and jazzy House records in a bar/lounge setting. These shows will often pull in a packed house of both electronic music fans and traditional Jazz enthusiasts. His deejay performances are occasionally enhanced with live musicians invited for sessions on sax, guitars or congas.
Paul resides in Sacramento California, where he is highly respected in the electronic music community. He has promoted Jazz and Art concerts, and is renowned for his SUNDANCE Park Picnic series - an Electronic Music gathering held in the summer. He's responsible for branding, promoting, and building the Sundance parties into socially positive, and uplifting music events for people of various walks of life to come together and enjoy.

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